


Arrangements

by RyanTyler2294



Category: Sengoku Basara
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arranged Marriage, Family Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-18
Updated: 2016-06-18
Packaged: 2018-07-15 20:53:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7238104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RyanTyler2294/pseuds/RyanTyler2294
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They didn't want their future to be decided for them, but they also didn't want to be outcasted by their families.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Arrangements

Since she was little, Mego had been told she would be the bride of Date Masamune. She was five years old when she was first given a picture of him. It was from the Christmas card his family had sent. She had been ecstatic! At that age the only thing on her mind was becoming a bride, having a dream wedding and starting a family.

She didn’t get to meet him until a year later. It was at his six birthday. She picked out the perfect birthday present, then she and her family traveled down to Oshu. It was just the two families so that the kids could have one-on-one time, and so the parents could talk business.

Masamune greeted her with a smile. He didn’t talk much the first meeting. He showed her inside and offered her food. They had just sat down for dinner so it was only polite. He introduced himself and tried to make small talk, but it didn’t go too far. He was nervous.

She gave him his present before they cut the cake. She was glad to see him smile and thank her. After cake, Masamune showed her around the house. They sat in the backyard on the swing set. The adults were still talking.

They saw each other on and off. Holidays and birthdays they would see each other. Masamune and Mego started to get used to each other after a few meetings. Mego was disappointed to realize that Masamune was a lot like other boys his age. He couldn’t play normally! Everything was dirt and bugs and fighting. All the time! She didn’t mind it at first. Masamune was one of those kids who would catch bugs and show them off. Naturally he was almost always covered in dirt until his mother had him come in and take a bath.

She got tired of it after a while. She talked him into playing dolls once in a while, and he took well to playing dress-up. He didn’t mind being a prince, or dressing as a princess when Mego said that she wanted to be the one to save the day once in a while. It was just hard to find a compromise. He wanted to do what he wanted to do all the time! He was used to getting his way because his brother was younger than him and did whatever he asked.

She had to put her foot down in order to get to do what she wanted.

Though, she did brag about him to her friends. She said he was like a prince. In a way he was. His father owned a financial empire that he was going to inherit. She told them about how big his house was, and how many maids he had. That was all it took to get her friends to gush. Then she would tell them about how sweet he was and how he wrote to her every month. Lastly, she showed them a picture of what he looked like. Her latest one was them together during the picnic at the Date flower garden.

His mother had made sure he was well dressed in a pale blue suit and she was in a matching sun dressed with flowers in her hair. Both of them were smiling at the camera. At the time, she thought they looked like royalty, and her friends agreed.

However, by middle school, the magic had worn off. He wasn’t who she thought he was. Now the idea of marriage was something that didn’t appeal to her. She wanted to meet someone she liked a lot, not just had a crush on. Even now the crush was fading.

One summer vacation during her middle school career she went to the Date’s to spend the month with her family. She met a few of his friends at that point. Though the parents made sure they had a lot of one-on-one time together.

It took some time before she could actually catch him alone. The adults hovered around a lot so it was tricky. She managed to find time after they went to bed one night. She snuck into his room.

“What are you doing here?” He asked. His eyes widened in worry.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“The arranged marriage.”

“What about it?”

“I’m not sure if I want to do this.”

He just shrugged.

“I mean…we’re not really in love or anything so it wouldn’t make sense for us to go through with this...”

“It’s years off and I doubt our parents are going to let us get out of this.”

“Yeah but…” Where was she even trying to go with this? “Just because we have to do this, doesn’t mean that we have to be unhappy.”

“You mean married by title but we still have our own thing?”

“What?”

“We go through with it to keep our parents quiet but if you find someone you like you can date them and it won’t matter.” He clarified.

“Yes like that!” She smiled. He didn’t seem too upset by what she was asking. If anything it seemed like he had already put a lot of thought into this himself.

“Alright, cool,” Masamune said. “Was that it?”

“Y-yes. That was it.”

“Then if you don’t mind…I’m tired.” He said.

She raised an eyebrow. Masamune was dressed in his normal clothes, not pajamas. His shoes were on even though he was indoors. His coat was even on, and he was in a hurry for her to leave. His phone went off signaling he had a message.

“Are you…going somewhere?”

“Me and some of the guys are meeting up.”

“But it’s so late…”

“Look, my parents don’t know about this. We’re just meeting up to hang out at this place that Chosokabe found. It’s supposed to be haunted and stuff.”

“You don’t really believe that?”

“No, but if I don’t show up and at least go inside they’re gonna call me a chicken until someone else bails on something.”

“Oh…”

“I’ll be back later.” He was opening his window.

“I’ll see you at breakfast then.”

“Yeah, okay.”

And then he was gone.

It felt like a weight off her chest to know she didn’t have to commit. She was a little concerned about him sneaking out, but she didn’t say anything.

Masamune didn’t wake up until noon the nest day. He wandered downstairs for breakfast. Mego greeted him and his mother scowled. She scolded him for waking up so late. He didn’t respond to her as he sat down for lunch.

One of the servants brought him a plate and gave him a small knowing smile. She was about their age. Mego is pretty sure her name is Kita. He knew that her last name was Katakura. Her family worked for the Date in various ways. This was one of the examples. There were a few of the Katakura’s who worked in the house as cleaners. Some of the older ones worked within the company.

It was an odd set up for these times, but she didn’t question it.

“What are you doing that’s keeping you up so late?” His mother was still talking. “We took your video games from your room so we didn’t have to go through this.”

“I never said I was up late,” Masamune huffed.

“What other reason would you have for being so tired?”

“I wasn’t up that late.”

“Let him be,” His father stepped in. His hand rested gently on his wife’s shoulder. He had a smirk on his face. “He is at about that age.”

His mother turned pink and his dad laughed. Then Masamune turned pink as well. He must have caught what they were talking about.

“It’s not like that.”

“It’s okay. It’s normal. We’ll talk about it later,” His father said as he got up from the table.

Masamune sighed and picked at his food. He refused to look up from his plate.

The time came and went and they continued their visits. She was glad that she had broke things off. Sure, Masamune was a nice guy but puberty wasn’t working out so well for him. He was lanky and had the worst case of acne the last she saw him.

It was during her first year of high school that she heard that Masamune had lost sight in his right eye. She was told it was because of some sort of infection. A few weeks later she was then told about how he had an infection in his dead eye and that he needed surgery.

She was supposed to go to Oshu to visit him after the surgery, but Masamune said he didn’t want any visitors right now. His parents said he was really upset and that he hadn’t even let them in the room. Only one of his friends had been allowed into his room so far.

She texts him a few times but he wasn’t in a talkative mood. But he said he was fine. He said it was just taking a while to adjust to everything. It didn’t make sense to her. Why not let anyone see you if he was just adjusting? When she asked this all she got was a day or two of silence before he would text her again, but changed the subject.

He was distance after that and he only texts her every now and then. She didn’t mind.

She didn’t become worried again until one of their visits got canceled again. It wasn’t just Masamune who was having issues. There was something wrong with the Date. She caught the tail end of the conversation that her parents had about the situation. They were thinking about cutting off the engagement. It was something about the company not doing so well and that it wouldn’t be the best for her.

Masamune never mentioned anything about it when they did talk. He always made it sound like they were doing well. He would talk about friends, classes, and baseball. Sometimes he would send a funny picture. Other than that he was silent.

She hardly noticed because she was engrossed in her day-to-day life. But she did worry about him when it came to her mind.

She wouldn’t see him again until the summer before her senior year. She hadn’t expected the changes that she saw. Masamune had fleshed out in those few years they hadn’t seen each other. He had grown and his was finally into proportion. His acne had gone away and an eyepatch now covered his right eye.

He was handsome! He was wearing a tank top and shorts because of the weather. He sported a few bruises that must have been from roughhousing with friends. It was clear that baseball training was helping him stay in shape. He was toned and starting to show definition. His hair was now shoulder length.

“H-hey, you look well,” It was hard to believe it was the same person she had seen all those years ago.

“Thanks! You don’t look so bad yourself,” He smiled easily

“You haven’t grown that much since last time,” which was true. As stated before he had grown but he still wasn’t average height for his age.

“Oi, I still have time to grow,” He insisted.

“And I’m sure by then you’ll be a stunning five foot four,” She joke.

“Whatever,” he rolled his eye. “Let’s head inside.”

She walked besides him she’d been here often enough she already knew the way. She had so much she wanted to ask him! She was still in the dark as to why his family had suddenly lost contact. She never got the full story from her parents.

Though, she guessed it didn’t matter. Everything seemed to be in order. The house was just as grand as she remembered it, and Masamune seemed happy. Whatever it was couldn’t have been too bad. He would have mentioned it in their text no matter how brief. She remembered that losing half his sight had been traumatizing for him. He only said it once, then talked over it back when they were still texting.

“Food? Drink? It was a long trip. What do you want?” He was walking backward as he spoke.

“I’m fine. We had snacks in the car, and we stopped for lunch before we got here.”

“Suit yourself. What do you want to do? We have the whole summer ahead of us!”

“Don’t know. What did you have planned?”

“Baseball camp for a few weeks, hang out with some friends. Normal stuff. Chosokabe leaves for college soon, so I’m gonna bug the mess out of him.”

“That’s it?”

“I take life as it comes.”

She nodded and looked around the house upon seeing the remodeled entrance. There was an added hallway.

“What’s that?” She started in that direction.

“The Katakura’s stay with us now. We added on to the house so they could have a place to stay and privacy.”

“Did something happen?”

“They said they were having a hard time with transportation or something. I didn’t get every detail about it. All I know is that they’re here now.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Nah. I don’t have to go across town to visit Kojuro now.”

“You guys hang out?”

“Sometimes. He’s going away to college like Chosokabe so I’m trying to get in the most time as I can. Been trying to get everyone to hang out as a group one last time, but no one is willing.”

“They’re probably just busy.”

“No, they’re being babies. Some don’t get along with others so they don’t want to go if the other person is there.”

“Childish,” Mego shook her head. “Don’t let it get you down.”

“What about you?” He turned his attention to her. “What do you plan on doing?”

“Not sure. There aren’t that many people in the area that I get along with.”

“Don’t be silly. Everyone here likes you.”

“No they don’t. The girls here hate me.”

“Kasuga likes you, and Itsuki is fond of you.”

“That’s about it.”

“Saika is cool with you, but she left for college.”

“You see what I mean.”

“They’re just weary of you.”

“I doubt it.”

“Then why don’t you ever invite any of your own friends from home to come along? That way you won’t have to feel so out of place.”

“It sounds more like you’re trying to find a way so you won’t feel guilty about ditching me for your friends.”

“You don’t want to be with me all the time and you know it.”

“That’s true.” She giggled. Her eyes couldn’t leave the teens face. He was so handsome now it was hard to think that she hadn’t thought he wasn’t good looking before.

She found herself spending most of the summer with him and his friends. It wasn’t a secret that these two were supposed to marry so no one questioned how close they were. Though, it didn’t take her long to figure out that Masamune had a girlfriend. On more than one occasion she caught him sneaking out. She could see him crossing the lawn to get off the property, and sometimes she could hear him climbing back through his room window.

She didn’t let it bother he too much because she didn’t want to be petty and superficial. Let’s be honest, yes Masamune was hot but other than that he was still the same person. He was just as impulsive and loud and annoying as she remembered him being. It was refreshing to see that not much had changed between them.

“Are you going to tell me what her name is?” Mego finally asked when they were out in town. His mother had sent them to the store. The families were taking note of the distance between them and were finding any excuse they could think of to send them off together.

“Who?”

“Don’t play dumb. You’ve snuck out almost every day this week. Who have you been going to see?”

“Does it matter?”

“Come on! I’m you’re best friends we tell each other these kinds of things right?”

“Seriously? Why does it interest you so much?” He was defensive.

“Because I want to know. What are you so worried about?”

“My mom has been asking about where I go at night. One of the maids ratted on me and now she has a pretty good idea what’s going on. She’s been trying to figure out who it is, probably to send them away.”

“I’m not being a double agent if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“It’s just better if you know as little as possible.”

“Is it that serious? I mean is what you guys have going that serious?”

He blushed but frowned. He turned his attention back to the list. He wasn’t going to entertain this conversation any longer so Mego backed off. If one of the maids knew then it was only a matter of time before she heard the gossip around the house.

The maids said it was a girl from the Katakura family. It had been a problem for a while now. Masamune’s parents had suspected something going on between the girls in the other clan, but they had never been able to confirm it. Now, a maid had confirmed his coming and goings from the Katakura building. There was no doubt what he was doing if he felt the need to sneak out in the middle of the night.

The main suspect was Kita. She was the eldest daughter of the head of the Katakura family, the branch of the family that the Date’s were closest with. Masamune spent most of his time playing with the kids from that part of the family growing up before the Katakura were groomed for housework. It was only natural that he would grow close to her.

Mego’s family wasn’t having any of that. This arrangement had been in place for a long time now. It’s why they wanted this wedding to happen as quickly as possible and insisted that Mego and Masamune have more time to bond.

Masamune didn’t seem too bothered by the affair. When his mother brought it up at dinner he had frozen in the middle of bringing another bite of chicken to his mouth. He listened as she explained the situation at hand and what it would mean for his future.

“I know that you’re at that age, but you have to understand that you’re already in a committed relationship. This union means a lot for both families.”

“I know,” he frowned as he put down his fork.

“So, can you promise me that whatever this is, is going to end before we have to intervene?”

“Intervene?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I don’t.”

His mother sighed. The tension in the room was only growing as this conversation progressed. “I know that you and Kita are close, but it’s not going to work out for you too. This marriage is what will be best for you in the long run. I know it doesn’t seem like that right now, but trust me, you’ll thank us later.”

“Alright,” Masamune looked back down at his plate. His mother looked up to the ceiling as if thanking God, and her husband grinned at her before he started to pull everyone into a new topic of conversation.

Everyone was so distracted that they missed the way that Masamune smirked around his next bite of food. He had that look of triumph on his face as if he had won. He managed to straighten himself out by the time the attention was back on him.

~.~.~.~.~

Kojuro was one of the few of Masamune’s friends that Mego actually liked. He wasn’t as talkative as the others, and far less annoying. He was the only one who could stop Masamune from doing something stupid. She could only guess that this was the reason Kojuro was able to be excused from his chores at Masamune’s beck-and-call. Besides cleaning Kojuro was getting paid to keep Masamune in line.

But he was sensible. He tended to only come around when it was only going to be a small group. For example, today only a few of them were out and about. Chosokabe had shown up on the way to the movies. Keiji met them inside making them a party of five. Keiji was one of the big supporters of the upcoming marriage. He always made a big deal about making sure Masamune and Mego sat next to each other for every occasion. If left unchecked he would rave about how it cute that they were destined to be married since birth.

Everyone would tune him out by the time he got to that point. After a few minutes, Kojuro would be the one to tell him to give it a rest. Mego was grateful for it. She wasn’t sure what everyone found so terrifying about Kojuro, but a single phrase could have everyone quiet and at attention. It was concerning, but not concerning enough for her to look into.

By the afternoon, the whole gang had gathered and they played some weird version of baseball. It was like they were little kids again, making the rules up as they go. It was fun all the same. Mego can’t remember the last time she’d done this much running or was covered in this much dirt. Well, it was more like mud because her sweat was mixing with the soil that clung to her skin.

Chosokabe and Kojuro had been nice enough to trot down to the convince store and get water for everyone. The sun was just starting to set as they all caught their breath. Masamune was collapsed next to her on the ground. His chest heaved as he struggled to replenish the oxygen in his body. He sat up to take his shirt off, turn it inside out and wipe his face with it.

Mego blushed and looked away. Kojuro tossed her a bottle of water, which she gladly accepted. He placed the next one on Masamune’s stomach and snickered when the other teen yelped and complained. Kojuro sat on Masamune’s left, like always, so he was in his line of sight.

“This is nice,” Sasuke was the first one to talk. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to do stuff altogether.”

“Before we all have to head off to different Universities.” Yukimura nodded as he completed Sasuke’s thought.

“Speak for yourself.” Chosokabe snorted. “Some of us are only here on break.”

“You know what they mean.” Saika gave him a playful whack to the back of the head. “And you’re not even in college yet. You only went away from the weekend for orientation.”

“All I’m saying is that they make it sound like they didn’t miss us,” he whined when Saika whacked him again and declared him a Drama Queen.

“Of course, we missed ya.” Masamune rolled over on his stomach and grinned at the pirate. “Trouble-making is no fun without my partner in crime.”

“I thought that was me?” Yukimura was clearly offended.

“You’re my rival, Chosokabe is my partner in crime, and Kojuro is my right-hand man.” Masamune clarified. “We’re still buddies, though.”

“And to think my this time next year,” Keiji interrupted them, “Some of use will be half way done with college, Saika will have a job, Masamune and Mego will be married…Life moves so fast.”

“But for the better,” Kojuro assured the group.

“Easy for you to say,” Masamune snorted.

“I’m not sure what you’re complaining about,” Yukimura huffed. “You’ve had job security your whole life. You’ve known what school you were going to, you knew what your major and minor were going to be, and you know that Date Enterprises is yours once you’re done school.”

“It’s not as easy as you think,” Masamune mumbled. Kojuro gave him a sad smile and pat him on the back.

“It sounds kind of cushy to have your life planned out for you,” Sasuke agreed. “I mean you don’t have to worry about all that stuff everyone else does. You know what you’re gonna do with your life…”

“But,” Keiji interrupted like he tended to do. “Isn’t life better when you get to go with the flow, and not know where things will take you? No offense Masamune.”

“No, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” Masamune nodded along.

“Well,” Kojuro shrugged. “Sometimes things like this seem uneventful, but you can make your own path. Sometimes it’s for the better.” Kojuro’s voice was soft as if begging for understanding, and Masamune rolled his eye clearly annoyed.

“You’ll figure it out,” Chosokabe laughed. “Like Mori here.” He playfully pushed his friend. “He decided to do his own thing, won’t take on his families company. He’s in the wind, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders. He’ll land on his feet.”

“You don’t have to tell everyone,” Mori snorted.

“I’m just proud of you. You’ve been bitching about your family since I could remember and you finally put your foot down.”

Mego could only listen and feel the smallest amount of sympathy. She came from the same social class, but her predicament was a bit different. The company was to go to her elder brother, who was already working within the company. Her job was to tie Date to them through marriage, and that was where it ended. She didn’t have to worry about her inheritance or losing out. If anything with this set up she won. Between the money and Masamune…

Not to say that Masamune was a prize, but it could have been a lot worse. Masamune was about her age, good looking, nice.  And with their arrangement she didn’t have much to worry about. They were good friends, they could co-habituate together for the years to come, or at least long enough to keep their parents happy.

The conversation was getting morbid and people were starting to drift back home. The field was clearly up and Masamune was practicing his swing now that he had room. He was restless, and Kojuro had to talk him out of using balls since it was getting too dark to see where they were landing.

“I might call it off,” Masamune said after a while. Mego looked up at that.

“What?” Kojuro was the one to speak.

“I might call off the whole wedding thing. There’s no point to pretending right?”

“There are worse things then…” Kojuro never got to finish that thought because Masamune cut him off.

“It sounds good in theory, but living it. Living it is a different story.” Masamune put the bat down and focused his gaze on the horizon. “I rather, go where I know I’ll be happy, or am I just sound sounding like a cheap holiday card.”

“The last one, but I understand what you’re trying to say.” Kojuro sighed. “Still, you need to think about your future and what this will mean for you. Acting rashly won’t yield positive results.”

“It’s not rash. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.”

“Without telling me?” Mego quirked an eyebrow.

“I was going to eventually,” Masamune shrugged. “What does it even matter? You don’t even want to get married and you don’t lose anything behind it. Your family will just find another suitor.”

“That’s the problem,” Mego insisted. “I lucked out with you. Do you know how much worse it could have been?”

“You don’t even know me well enough to know if I’m a good pick,” He snapped. “You don’t know anything about me.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. I’ve known you for years.”

“Sure,” Masamune snorted.

“I’m gonna head back,” Mego said after a while. This conversation was going nowhere. Besides, it seemed like Masamune wanted to discuss this with Kojuro, not her. Then again, Kojuro had a more logical head on his shoulder. If anyone could talk him out of what he was trying to do, it was him.

“I'll be there in a bit,” Masamune called.

He came back about an hour later to shower and was out his room window before Mego could revisit the subject of their marriage.

~.~.~.~.~

Even though there was a bit of a tension between them because of Kita, the Date still kept the Katakura in their employment. It would be silly to fire them over a puppy dog romance. Not that Masamune was helping much in the matter. He was constantly sneaking out to go see Kita. More than one time the Katakuras caught them on the property and sent him back home. Sometimes they would let him stay if he said he was visiting Kojuro, but that was the only exception.

His parents were more than a little miffed. He was grounded and not allowed out of the house unless he had plans with Mego. Masamune had hoped that it meant he would get out of having to attend the parties the family threw though out the summer, but he had no such luck. He was pouting across the room where he refused to step away from the refreshment table.

Mego paid him no mind. She was mixing and mingling like a good hostess. Her mother caught her eye and smiled at her to let her know she was doing a good job. That was followed by a pointed look in Masamune’s direction, back to Mego, then to Masamune again.

Mego nodded, getting the point. She crossed the room to converse with her fiancé.

“You look glum,” She said as she took one of the deserts off the tray.

“You don’t want to be here either,” He rolled his eye before looking back out at the room again.

“Yeah, but it’s better to make the most of it than to focus on being miserable. There’s good food, good music, the company ain’t too bad either.”

He smirked a bit, “It sucks don’t lie. Even you would rather be somewhere else.” His eye swept slowly over the room following someone’s movements before he blushed and looked away.

“Kita?” She poked at him.

“Sure.” He sighed. “Oh no,” he mumbled. Before Mego could ask why Masamune’s mother was next to them talking quickly about something. She was clearly in the middle of a conversation as she pushed them further into the room to talk with everyone.

“And this is the bride and groom to be. Less than a year before the big day. We’re doing it right after graduation.”

“Going into college a married man? That’s no fun.” One of the guests joked and everyone laughed.

“He’ll be fine,” His father pat him on the back. “Everyone will be jealous when they get a look at Mego. No shame there.”

Mego blushed as the whole room agreed. She looked to Masamune to give him a sympathetic smile but paused. His was clenching his teeth and flexing his jaw. He had that intense look in his eye. That one when it was clear he couldn’t hold back what he wanted to say much longer.

“Poor boy looks nervous. Not getting cold feet already.” Someone said. Mego laughed nervously using the opportunity to rub his back, silently pleading that he would calm down. They didn’t need to…

“I don’t want to get married,” Masamune spoke up. Again, everyone laughed lightly so Masamune added, “I mean it. I don’t want to go through with this.” He turned to face his parents.

Now there was light chatter, but it was dying down into silence.

“Don’t say it like that sweetheart. You’ll hurt Mego’s feelings,” His mother said dismissively, but Masamune wasn’t having any of that.

“I doubt she wants this either. We don’t like each other like that. We’re barely even friends.”

“Masamune,” His father interjected his time. “Now isn’t…”

“The time or place?” Everyone was paying attention now. “I don’t want this, and I’m not going through with it. This is my life. You can’t just dictate what I do for your own convenience.”

“This has been planned for years. It’s not that simple.”

“I don’t care what your plans are! I’m not doing it. It’s not like you could stop me even if you wanted to.”

“Masamune,” his mother’s voice was full of unspoken promises of punishment. It was in that moment that Masamune hesitated and looked as if he regretted his actions as she continued to speak. “You know what this means for the families.”

“If it was that important then you could write up a contract. I’m not gonna be a part of this, this, whatever this is. I’m not.” His lips pierced together as if he was worried but he kept going on. He wasn’t going to back down.

“He has a crush on someone else at the moment,” The father said to the room in a soft voice as if explaining something to a child. There was a soft, “Oh” amongst the room as they all started to better understand the situation.

“He’ll get over it by the time the wedding comes.” Someone said.

Masamune was red in the face. His lips were pressed together in a thin line. He was livid, and no one was taking him seriously. His dad even went as far as to ruffle his hair and tell him to calm down. It only helped to escalate the situation, because Masamune smacked the hand away.

“You aren’t even listening to what I’m saying. This isn’t over a girl. I just want to have control over my own life. I don’t want to major in Business, I don’t want to take over the company, and I don’t want to marry Mego.”

Now there was silence. The guest watched with bated breath, and the Dates looked back and forth at each other, not sure how to proceed.

“Masamune…”

“No.” His nostrils flared as he spoke. “You never even asked me what I wanted out of all this.”

“It’s what’s best,” His father assured him.

“You don’t know that.”

“Son, these things were decided for you for a reason. We’re older and wiser, and we only want what’s best for you.”

“Best for me, or best for the company?”

His father pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, “This isn’t up for debate. You can do it, or you won’t, but if you don’t, I’m not paying for your college education or anything else after this.”

“Fine,” Masamune didn’t even stop to think about it.

“Fine?” His father looked confused. He hadn’t expected Masamune to just accept his ultimatum.

“I can get by on my own. My grades are good enough I’ll probably get enough in scholarships to get through school. I can get a job. I’ll be fine.” He was still clearly frustrated and it was hard to tell if he meant it or if he was just starting his father down.

The tension in the room was only growing. No one else spoke and it seemed like no one even dared to breathe.

“Is all this really over Kita?” His father looked concerned now. “Don’t throw away your whole future over a girl.”

“This isn’t…she’s not…why can’t you just understand what I’m saying. This is about me and what I want. No one else is influencing my decision on this.”

One thing Mego had to give Masamune’s dad points one, was his calm. It was easy to rile Masamune up and to make this a bigger scene than it already was. No offence meant, but Masamune could be quiet the drama queen when things didn’t go his away. This included when he didn’t get the proper reaction from his temper tantrums.

“Masamune, I just think you need to take some time and think about this. You’re throwing away a perfectly good opportunity…”

“Forget it…” Masamune sighed and started to walk away. He was ignoring his parents calling to him as he went up the stairs to his room.

“I’ll go…” Kita started to say but received the death glare from the family.

“I’ll go check on him,” Kojuro offered. “He just needs some time to cool down.”

“Thank you Kagetsuna.” The family always address Kojuro by his given name, not his nickname.

“I’m sorry about that Mego,” Masamune’s mother apologized. “He didn’t mean any of that. I’m sure he’s just nervous since it’s been the main subject of conversation lately. He’ll come around.”

“It’s alright, I’m not too worried about it,” Mego was able to say this honesty. She didn’t have to worry about the outcome because she knew what it would be. Once Masamune made up his mind about something, he didn’t waiver in the matter.

 The party came to life again and the previous conversation was only gossip instead of the main topic of the night. Then a half hour passed without Masamune surfacing from his room. Kojuro had yet to come down either. Poor guy was probably still trying to get Masamune to come downstairs for appearance sake.

“Maybe I should make sure that he’s doing alright?” Mego got up. It would be cruel to leave Kojuro to deal with this on his own. “I’ll be right back.”

She was glad to get away from all the noise and hoopla of the party. She mounted the stairs with a small tray of tea in hand. She stopped to look down. Their parties always looked so majestic from afar. There was a beauty to the way they guest fluttered and danced around each other. She turned away from the scene and focused on the task at hand.

Masamune’s door was closed so he could shut himself away from everyone. She sighed and swung the door open.

“You gotta come out some…time…” She froze not sure how to respond to what was happening in front of her. Kojuro had Masamune pinned to the bed and his tongue was down his throat. Masamune was arching his back to get closer to him and his hands were wandering under Kojuro’s shirt.

They broke apart flushed and embarrassed when she opened the door, but not quick enough. She saw. She saw and she couldn’t un-see it. She stood in the doorway with her eye wide and her mouth hanging open. The tray she was holding fell to the floor with a loud crash, getting the attention of the party goers downstairs.

It was like everything was moving at once. Masamune and Kojuro separating themselves and trying to look half decent by the time Masamune’s dad made it to where the sound originated from. It was astonishingly fast how quickly the man was able to put two and two together. He blamed it on the fact that Masamune was still buttoning his shirt back, making the hickey on his neck visible, and Kojuro was the closest person to him. It was a no-brainer.

Mego thought differently. He was so thorough in his explanation. It made her wonder if he had known all along.

The party was being cut short so the families could come together and have a proper talk. This meant Mego’s family, the Dates and the Katakuras. Masamune sat beside Kojuro clutching his hand. They spoke to each other softly. Kojuro was clearly fearful of what was to come. He only worked for the family. Actually, right now he only worked during the summer and spent the rest of the year at University. If he fell out of favor with the family, he would have to leave the property and that would leave him with practically nothing besides the clothes on his back.

Masamune was angry. When his gaze wasn’t on Kojuro, he was glaring down his parents as he waited for them to start of whatever lecture they had planned.

Mego could only sit and feel guilty. She hadn’t meant to drop the tray, but she had been shocked by what she saw and lost her balance… There wasn’t any time for her to apologize properly, and she knew that some of Masamune anger was directed at her.

The Katakuras however, were apologizing. They were fanatically saying sorry and begging for Kojuro’s actions to be overlooked. It was just a crush. It would fade. They would put Kojuro to work in a different part of the house so they wouldn’t run into each other.

“But you would seek him out wouldn’t you?” Masamune and his dad locked eyes. “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”

“We did nothing wrong,” Masamune protested. “You’re just…”

“Don’t,” his father snapped and everyone fell silent. The man was red down to his collar as he started to pace. Only the sound of his footsteps and anger laden breaths drowned out the wall clock. “Unless you’re separated this won’t stop will it.”

“You’d…you’d send him away?” Masamune’s voice pitched in disbelief. “He’s not even your kid you can’t just…”

“He,” his father stopped pacing, “Is eighteen, and you are still seventeen.”

“Oh God,” Kojuro’s mother gasped as she realized where this was going.

“I’m only two months shy of…” Masamune started to say but his father was having none of it.

“Doesn’t matter. It is what it is.”

Now Kojuro was looking panicked. It was unsettling to see him like that, he was normally the composed one. His hands shook and he quickly turned to his parents. The silent plead for help was written all over his face.

“You can’t blame our son for this. It takes two to tango, and Masamune was a willing participant. You can’t ruin him over something like this. Kojuro has been nothing but good to this family since before he was able to help around the house.” Mrs. Katakura reasoned.

“That doesn’t matter here.”

“The hell it doesn’t.” Mr. Katakura spoke up now. “Terumune, this isn’t right and you know. I know you guys want Masamune to marry that girl, but let’s face it. He’s miserable in this house and isn’t going to just magically like some girl he only sees every other summer when he’s obviously…”

“Don’t you dare,” Terumune, Masamune’s dad, stepped into Mr. Katakura’s space.

“He doesn’t like women. He’s never batted an eye at them. You’ve known it since forever, but hoping and praying doesn’t just make this go away. And maybe if you took the time to get to know him instead of pushing him off on us to babysit all the time, then sure it might not have been Kojuro but it doesn’t change the fact that he wouldn’t go along with this. He’s a person, not a business plan. He has his own life.”

“Him and your son have a responsibility to this family. It’s not something that you can just turn a blind eye to.”

“Of course not. It’s not something you can ignore easily. It’s not like what you knew your wife was doing to him after he came to you crying and told you what she does when no one is looking, but you were “too busy” to notice that anything was wrong. And then, you have the nerve to act surprised when she nearly beats the boy within an inch of his life.” Mr. Katakura all but spat in the other man’s face while he talked.

Mego could only watch the exchange. Her stomach was knotting up. She was worried this was going to escalate into a physical fight. She looked to Masamune who was hanging his head in shame as the conversation went on. Mego felt her breath catch as the reality of the words started to come down on her.

But things were deescalating quickly after Mr. Katakura mentioned something about Masamune probably still having fresh bruises on him somewhere. Terumune took a step back but growled as if to show dominance. This was his domain. The last call would be his because the authority was his.

“Kojuro,” Terumune addressed the boy now. “Haven’t you been trying to go to Harvard? What if I pay your tuition for the next three, four years until you finish your degree?”

Kojuro’s breath caught in his throat, and he choked on it. He fought tooth and nails for his grades and even though he had been accepted to the school he wanted, he couldn’t afford to go. An education from outside the country was just something that he couldn’t afford, and now it was being offered to him as a bribe to make him go away and to separate him from Masamune. Even Mego could see that, but it would be stupid to not take the deal.

“I-I would have to think about it I mean…” The poor boy was at a loss for words.

“I’ll even throw in some extra spending cash for you.”

“That’s, that’s very generous of you. I just…a lot has happened. I need time to think on this.”

“Let’s call it a night,” Terumune sighed. “We could all use some sleep.”

Mego stayed where she was and looking over to her parents who were whispering amongst themselves. Seems some of what was said was news to them as well. The Katakura’s were gathering Kojuro so they could get out as quickly as possible. Masamune was the holdup. He had Kojuro in a tight hug as he said goodbye. Mego thinks that he’s saying goodbye. He was whispering really quickly in the other teen’s ear.

Masamune went back to his room. He disappeared up the stairs like a scared rabbit. Mego was expecting his parents to still want to talk to him but they let him be. She stopped by his room to make sure he was okay. She had to step over the broken glass from the tea cups. She winced when her sock clad feet dipped into the edge of the tea that was on the floor and made her socks sticky.

Masamune was laying down on his bed, his face was buried in the pillows. He didn’t even budge when Mego sat down next to him.

“I’m sorry.” She said softly. “I didn’t mean to bring attention to what you were doing. It just caught me by surprise and I…”

“I’m not mad at you.” He turned to face her. “None of this is his fault.” He reached out and grasped the hand closest to him.

“I still feel guilty,” She sigh. “What is Kojuro going to do?”

“He wants to go to Harvard. It’s been his dream, and I told him,” his voice hitched. “If he wants to go then he should go. I mean, I’m gonna miss him if he goes, but it’s what he wants, and if he stays here my dad is gonna make his life hell.”

She was quiet and nodded. She glanced back at Masamune who was just staring off into space. He was upset and she didn’t know what to say to make him feel better. She kept replaying the conversation in her head.

“Is what Kojuro’s dad said true? That thing about your mom…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I keep telling ya, you did nothing wrong. If anything I’m sorry about causing a scene during that party. I’ve just had it with the whole arrangement and pretending…”

“We were both thinking it. It was only a matter of time before either one of us said something. The fact that we didn’t say it sooner is what’s unbelievable.”

Masamune laughed at that.

“I should have said it,” Mego sighed. “I was the one who even came up with the plan in middle school because we didn’t want to. If I just said something we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.”

“If it wasn’t you then they would find someone else.” Masamune sat up. “It works both ways you know. We both kind of lucked out. I could still be waiting for my wife to be born and you could be with some guy twice your age.”

Mego giggled. “My parents wouldn’t do that, or at least I don’t think. Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ve survived worse,” Masamune admitted with a small smile. “I’ll be okay. “

“So…you can Kojuro…”

“Shut up.” He flopped back on the bed but he was smiling now.

“You have to tell me. I told you when I kissed Shigezane that one summer.”

“That was middle school stuff!”

“So this is serious? How long?” She insisted on information. Normally she wasn’t interested in this kind of stuff, but she wanted to make the conversation light and relieve some of the tension. “You’ve actually managed to keep this secret from me this whole time?”

“It’s been a while,” Masamune blushed, “since we were younger, but we never…”

“Define younger.”

His face was scarlet now, “We’ve had a thing for each other since I can remember and that’s all I can say.”

“Wait, so you mean, like when we first met?”

“Before that.”

“Wow! That, that’s just wow.”

“It’s just hard for us when I have to marry and his family is basically in servitude of my family. The Katakura’s get paid but, they come from a lower class and my family is really worried about appearances.”

“Forbidden romance!”

“Yeah, that sums it up in one phrase. We’re gonna make it, though. He’s gonna go to Harvard and in a year I’ll meet him in America and we’ll be alright.”

“But, aren’t you worried about if your family? If they cut you off…”

“I’ve been moving the money from the account my parents set up for me, to the one I have for myself. I have access to my trust fund in a few months, and I’ll take what I can from that so I should be well off by the time I leave.”

“So you’ve been planning this?”

“Kind of. I knew I had to get out of here, but I didn’t know where to go. Things are starting to fall into place now.”

~.~.~.~.~

The summer came to an eventual end and Mego and her family were going to be heading home. She had to get ready for the start of her senior year. Her parents informed her that she and Masamune wouldn’t be married. They didn’t want to be a part of whatever was conspiring in this house. If they could help it they were never coming back here or associating with Date again.

She took the time to say her goodbyes to Masamune. He was confined to his room since the incident.

“You’re leaving I take it.”

“Yup. Annnnd, the wedding is off.”

“Well, that’s some good news.”

“I just wanted to say goodbye and wish you luck with getting out of here…”She paused midsentence when she realized that someone was at the window. She only saw a hand as the person tried to steady themselves on the tree branch and brace themselves on the side of the house. Masamune’s eye followed the movement and he grinned, hopped off the bed and opened the window.

“What are you doing?” Masamune said in disbelief. Mego didn’t have to see the smile to hear it.

“My flight is in three hours I wanted to…Oh, hello Mego.”

“Hey,” She waved to him was she watched Masamune help pull him the rest of the way into the room. He had flowers with him, which got crushed in the struggle, but Masamune still smiled and accepted them.

“I wanted to see you one last time before I had to go,” Kojuro said looking only at Masamune now. “I gave Yukimura my number so if yours or mines changes…”

“I know,” Masamune smiled softly.

“I’ll be okay.”

“I’m gonna miss you, so much,” Kojuro’s voice caught in his throat and his hands came up to cup the sides of Masamune’s face. “I’ll keep in touch I swear.”

The kiss they exchanged was loving and gentle. Their bodies pressed against each other as they tried to pull each other impossibly closer. Kojuro’s hands were now in a more comfortable position on Masamune's waist, and Masamune and flung is arms over Kojuro’s shoulders to pull him in.

“I’m going to go.” Mego cleared her throat. “Parents are waiting for me downstairs.”

“Bye. Keep in touch.” Masamune waved, but his attention went right back to Kojuro the moment he could.

She understood what was going on in there, and what was about to go on in there. She didn’t blame them. It was the last time they would be with each other for a year. This stolen moment was going to be all they had for a while. If they needed to steal these few minutes then she would give them privacy.

She herself couldn’t quite see the appeal. She couldn’t imagine having to sneak around just to keep a relationship going, but those two had been doing it for years. It was almost impossible to figure out how they juggled the balance of master and servant by day and be lovers by night. Just the idea of having to lie to her family about that was terrifying.

But somehow they had done it, and she wished them the best.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I know I haven't posted much in a while, but I've been in such a writing slump that I'm surprised that I managed to finish kicking this one out. I've been working on this one since the announcement of KojuroXMasamune week. This one was for the master-servant prompt. I hope you enjoyed it, and would love to hear a bit of feedback, good or bad ^^


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